Top New Farm-Chic Resort in Upstate New York for 2025

Over the past few years, New Yorkers have fueled a boom in rustic hotels out of the city. A travel editor heads to the Catskill Mountains to check out a luxurious new addition.

Before my visit to Wildflower Farms, a new resort in the Catskill Mountains, I had only ever seen one American kestrel. It was two years ago, while driving past an open field in upstate New York, and I had screeched to a halt to get a closer look—only for the bird to fly from its fence post in an instant. However, on my first morning at Wildflower Farms, I spotted North America’s smallest raptor perched on a pole a mere 30 feet from the main building. It held still long enough for me to get a good look through my binoculars, as if it had been placed there by guest services. Later that day, I would glimpse a bald eagle and one of its young swooping out of their nest high in a tree, somewhere near cabin No. 32.

Wildflower Farms: A Luxurious Retreat

• Auberge Resorts Collection is the first international luxury hotel operator to set up a hotel in the Catskills, with other brands like Six Senses and Montage rumored to follow suit.
• The resort features 65 cabins and cottages, plus a fantastic restaurant, bar, shop, spa, and event space.
• Guests can participate in activities including bread making, botanical-cocktail mixing, and even gathering their own eggs for breakfast.

Phenomenal birdlife is just one of many everyday majesties at this Auberge Resorts Collection property, which opened in Gardiner last fall. Its 65 cabins and cottages are arranged around a grand main building that’s home to Clay, the restaurant; the poolside Dew Bar; and an open-air venue named the Great Porch. Everything faces an open plain that rolls out like a carpet toward the stark granite ridge of the “Gunks,” as the Shawangunk Mountains are known. A stream creates a gentle soundtrack as it flows along the property’s eastern edge.

“As people spend more time with screens, it’s valuable for us to be in nature,” said resort owner Phillip Rapoport. The couple spent seven years developing the property, working with California architects Electric Bowery and New York designers Ward & Gray to create a balance of minimalism and well-upholstered coziness. “We wanted to give the interiors the same feeling as our own home,” Kristin explained.

The finished product is a vision of rural Catskills life filtered through a luxurious lens. Guests can rise early to feed the chickens and gather eggs for breakfast. Moreover, there are opportunities to try bread baking, botanical-cocktail mixing, or decorating ceramics with dried flowers. During my stay, I attended a pickling class with six other participants, discovering the art of transforming vegetables into sauerkraut—a delightful and messy endeavor.

To get a window into Wildflower’s country bona fides, I attended one of the daily sessions hosted by a farm manager. The team collaborates closely with the Clay kitchen to decide what to grow, based on the wishes of the chef and the realities of the soil and climate. Beets thrive in the garden, while carrots may appear a bit less than perfect. Nevertheless, the farm is an evolving enterprise, with plans to expand its vegetable production and possibly introduce pigs and cows.

For those whose interests lie less in farming and more in dining, there is much to savor at Clay, where executive chef Rob Lawson crafts refined farm-to-fork dishes such as celery root with dates and truffles. Additionally, guest chefs from renowned restaurants occasionally collaborate in the kitchen, presenting unique culinary experiences. At the downstairs cocktail bar, local brewers and distillers present their creations, complementing the vibrant atmosphere.

During my visit, guests seemed to be gathering at Clay throughout the day. However, the resort also offers plenty of options to retreat from the hustle and bustle: guests can lounge by the zellige-tiled saltwater pool at the spa, curl up in a cabin next to the wood-burning stove, or enjoy a cocktail around a firepit as country darkness envelops the property.

This kind of stylish quietude has lured New York City dwellers to the Catskills and Hudson Valley region for generations. Nevertheless, the pull of upstate New York has never been stronger than it is today. I visited the region for many years before deciding to purchase a home seven years ago, and during the pandemic, I witnessed a significant influx of urbanites seeking solace in this rural beauty. Consequently, houses were purchased at record prices, and Airbnb options became limited. By 2021, the hotels and resorts were thriving. Throughout the pandemic, several new independent properties opened, offering diverse options for all types of travelers.

What distinguishes Wildflower Farms from other newcomers is that it marks the arrival of an international luxury hotel operator—Auberge Resorts Collection—in the region. These developments signal a promising future for upscale tourism in the Catskills, with rumors of additional prestigious brands considering opening locations.

Some industry insiders believe that the area may not yet be entirely ready for a surge of luxury hotels. Erik Warner of Eagle Point Hotel Partners expressed that there isn’t a sufficient “critical mass” of amenities and attractions to support a fully developed hotel scene, stating, “You can’t go hotel-hopping.” The new openings often lack experienced hoteliers and assume they’ll succeed simply by being present.

Phillip Rapoport remarked that the growing development might complicate the opening of future resorts in the region. “Local trust is incredibly important,” he noted. “One hotel is sufficient for each of these towns.” For now, Wildflower Farms takes a significant step toward transforming upstate New York into not just a weekend escape for New Yorkers but an international tourist destination. The resort has already welcomed guests from countries as far away as Turkey, Singapore, and the Philippines.

As my stay concluded, the staff kindly sent me off with a box of the eggs I had gathered and my jar of sauerkraut—complete with instructions on how to maintain it until it ripened deliciously. In a way, the resort mirrors this process; with time and careful attention, it, along with the region’s tourism, will surely flourish and mature.

A version of this story first appeared in the May 2023 issue of iBestTravel under the headline “The Catskills are Calling.”